The Social Construction of the Value of Wildlife

• In Event: Wildlife and Green Criminology: Deconstructing Core Concepts

Abstract

The trade in wildlife is not a new phenomenon. The earliest civilizations were linked to the trade in live animals and parts thereof, from the Egyptian pharaohs to aristocrats in the modern era. This paper focuses on the history of the wildlife trade in order to understand the social construction of the value. In dynamic social and cultural contexts the meaning of wildlife changes. While, historically, exotic animals and the products thereof were strongly connected to social elites, currently wildlife attracts people from all walks of life; a wide variety of live animals and products thereof are traded for functional, symbolic and entertainment purposes. This analysis aims to contribute to the understanding of illegal wildlife trade issues in society. What can we learn from history in order to understand the present situation of the trade in wildlife?

Author

• Daan van Uhm, Utrecht University